


She-Ra: T H E       S O U N D

by eliseletters



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adora (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Angst, Angst and Humor, Anxiety Disorder, Catra (She-Ra) Needs a Hug, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Fuck Shadow Weaver, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Lesbians in Space, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, No Lesbians Die, No Smut, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Social Anxiety, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, and more lovely tags as the story goes on, but Scorpia is happy to do so, cursing, little bit of crack, that's a no no here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:48:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24869416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliseletters/pseuds/eliseletters
Summary: The sound of the Heart resides in all. In Catra and Adora. In success and victory. In peace. And in a new, much brighter Etheria.Everybody can rest now; all is done. They rescued the universe from the grasp of the Horde, from the shackles of absolute hell. Catra and Adora finally received their long-awaited moment, giving the starving, depleted audience much content to consume. What else is there to do? According to Adora, plenty can be done. Oh, yes. Much more can be done. As we're all aware, "stay" is a newly learned word in her vocabulary, and she's still struggling to understand its meaning.All in all, this is my angsty version of a post season 5 Etheria.
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Catra (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow & Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Glimmer (She-Ra), Catra & Scorpia (She-Ra), Catra & Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra), Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	She-Ra: T H E       S O U N D

Catra’s heart momentarily pauses, skipping several beats. To be fair, it’s been behaving in a sporadic and unruly manner since she kissed Adora just minutes ago. The extraneous side effects she’s enduring from the release of the Heart certainly don’t help either. Her body buzzes and her head feels like it’s wrapped in cotton. She struggles to discern what is real and not; I mean _god_ she just kissed Adora. The Adora. Her childhood best friend. Her enemy. Her incentive to work up the ranks of the Horde. But alas her savior. Her home. She hates to admit it, but the instant Adora rescued her, her vulnerability was sparked once more. She can never keep her barriers up too long with her around; she has always been her ultimate weakness. And Carta hers.

As Catra sluggishly and dreamily floats toward the others, she struggles to make out all of their faces. But there is one that undoubtedly stands out amongst the others.

Scorpia.

“Uh…hey, Scorpia”, she says, keeping her distance. “Look, about everything I’m sor–.”

Scorpia rushes to her and swaddles her into a tight embrace.

“Wildcat! My god I’ve missed you!”

Catra lets her breath out. “Yeah, I’ve missed you too bud.”

Perfuma excitedly dances in place and pounces on top of them. “Princess hug!”

They all collapse to the ground; their faces flushed with the warmth of relief and gratitude. They overcame the odds and defeated the Horde. _Catra_ and _Adora_ overcame the odds and opened the Heart along with each of their own.

Catra curiously glances around; her gaze intently searching for Adora’s. She faintly spots her standing near the edge of the hill, alone and in an apparent daze. She smiles and stands up, shaking her head vigorously in an attempt to rid herself of the fog her head still resides in. Her attempt isn’t effective by any means; it simply causes her head to whirl even further.

_God. Whatever. Get it together, Catra._

She moves towards Adora, blushing as she moves in close proximity to her. Her heart frolics and flutters, making its rhythm known to any spectator.

“Adora?”, she softly calls out.

Adora turns towards her, and upon realizing it’s Catra, she relaxes her uptight demeanor. She extends her hand out, delicately pulling Catra closer and closer until their foreheads are touching. She faintly hears Catra’s soft purring and smiles.

“It’s over”, Adora proclaims. “He’s gone.”

“Good riddance.”

They stand there unmoving for a few moments, completely suspended in their own unspoken world, blissfully unaware of everything else. Their moment of solitude is short-lived, for Adora senses movement in her peripheral vision, and just like that they’re tackled to the ground by Bow and Glimmer. Catra subtly rolls her eyes at the interruption.

Bow rolls on his side, propping himself up on his arm. “So, what now?”

Adora grins. “I’m not sure. But think about it. We can bring magic back to the universe!”

They commence to all stand. Adora grabs Catra’s hand, giving it a little squeeze. “What do you guys say to another Best Friend Squad Field Road Trip?”

Bow and Glimmer bobble their heads erratically in agreement, while Catra averts Adora’s gaze as she feels her heavenly daze in love land promptly cease. Adora immediately senses Catra’s reluctance, so she does what she always does best, and she smiles that _stupid_ , idiotic smile that drives Catra mad. Mad with rage. Mad with love. Mad with guilt for feeling the way she does. Catra suppresses it for the moment, mustering up a shallow, reassuring smile and nods subtly.

“Yeah, of course. I’m going wherever you go dummy.”

It’s seemingly enough of a response for Adora, for she scrunches her face up in excitement and jumps around like a child in anticipation of a gift. She settles herself and claps her hands.

“Alright! So, I was thinking we hop on board Darla once more for a great quest of visiting other planets studying them and eventually restoring their magic so the universe can– “

“ _Whoa_!”, Catra exclaims. Her face sinks in. She knew it. She knew it! Adora’s lust for adventure and stimulation would never falter. She was always hopping from one daunting venture to the next, stopping only for a bit in between them to recharge. Catra always thought she was the one who was the machine, devoid of any emotions, until she reunited with Adora. She forgot just how much this part of Adora angered her, how much it hurt her. She couldn’t keep up. It is and has always been far too overwhelming to compete for her attention when she was so preoccupied with what was to come. She felt her instincts overtake her, whispering sweet melancholies into her ear. They spoke of her past. The people who betrayed her. The hours she would spend sobbing silently to herself while Adora lay ignorantly in her sleep. How she would want to wake her and shake her with all her might, pleading and pleading with choking cries. _Can’t you see me? Can’t you see me? Please, Adora!_

Catra’s eyes darkened. She pushed the voices away.

_I told Adora I would be better. Not only for her, but for myself._

Bow and Adora stand, only seconds having passed, in a slight shock at Catra’s outburst. Before Catra can offer a consolidation, Glimmer steps forward.

“What are you trying to say, Adora? We just got back! I just met my dad who I thought was _dead_ for years and you want to hop up and go back on a savior mission to restore magic to the universe? Listen to yourself!”

Adora jumps, taken aback. Glimmer huffs, biting her tongue. “I’m sorry…that was a bit childish. But I still stand by what I said. Let’s just rest for a bit, okay? Please, Adora? I just think, as your queen, that’s what we all need right now.”

Bow nods in agreement.

Adora frowns. “As my queen?”, she mocks. “Remember the last time you pulled that stunt, _Queen Glimmer_? You almost killed us all!” She steps forward, merely inches away from Glimmer’s face. “You always think you know what’s best for us, don’t you? Well, new flash, you don’t. You’re too rash. You let the title of Queen get in your head. I thought after our last incident and how you just gained our trust back, especially Bow’s, you would be smarter. Clearly not.”

“Oh, _wow_ ”, Glimmer growls. “Me? Rash? Says the one who was just talking about going back into space to make the universe more magical? When we just finished saving the universe?”

“You know it was me who saved it, right? Without She-ra, we would all be dust. The same She-ra you blamed for the death of your mom is the same one that saved you, Glimmer.”

Glimmer gasps, falling into herself. Bow steps between them and shoves them both down.

“Stop it! Stop! Come on, guys. Why are we treating each other like this? Please don’t say things we are once more going to regret.”

Catra stands completely frozen.

_What the fuck is happening?_

She had no idea that they could argue like that. They seem, especially Sparkles, too…well, _sparkly_ to even hurt a fly. But then Catra’s mind flashes to when she encountered her in one of their off-grid camps (while she was working on her ‘great plan’ with Hordak) and there she figured out Glimmer had used Adora as a decoy so she could catch them off-guard. Sparkles was indeed more corrupt than she knew.

After Adora and Glimmer had stormed off in opposite directions, Catra finds herself in an unlikely position—alone with Bow. She looks helplessly at him.

“This _is_ my first rodeo, cowboy. I have no clue as to what the hell I’m supposed to do.”

Catra plops onto the ground, resting her head in her hands. Bow sighs and joins her.

“What do you do, Arrow Boy?”

He quietly chuckles. “I really don’t know either. It wasn’t always like this, you know. They didn’t start fighting until recently. I’m not even sure why. Even when they weren’t verbally fighting, I could feel it in the air. It would suddenly become tense and electric. That shit suffocated me.”

Catra nods, recalling how the atmosphere would feel when her and Shadow Weaver had an altercation. Thinking about her sent shivers down her spine. It was the first time she thought about her since…

Catra feels her eyes burn as she scrambles to hold back tears.

“You know…”, Bow impedes her line of thought. “The more I think about it, the more I realize Glimmer started rapidly changing after she started taking advice and lessons from Shadow Weaver. Figures.”

Catra flinches. “ _What_?”

Bow can feel her distress. “Oh, you didn’t know?”

Her eyes stare blankly ahead into empty space. “I knew that Shadow Weaver was staying here, but I had no idea she was corrupting Sparkles.” She stands in a huff. “You guys just let that happen? More importantly, Adora let that happen? Do you guys know what she’s capable of? What she did to us?”

Bow grabs her hand, sending Catra in a jolt at the sudden contact. “Yes, of course we knew. And Adora did try to stop Glimmer from seeing her. She really did; I promise. But Shadow Weaver must have gotten in Glimmer’s head, and with Glimmer as queen, she doesn’t have to listen to anybody.”

Catra sighs. “Of course. That’s what she does best.”

Bow, still firmly grasping Catra’s hand, stands up and pulls her into an ungainly embrace. Instinctively, she pushes away at first, but his arms tighten around her, causing her eyes to widen in absolute bewilderment.

“I know, Catra. I’m so sorry for everything you’ve been through. You’re tough. Adora too. She couldn’t have made it this far without you.”

“Are you kidding me?”, she spits. “Clearly she could. She already _has_. Did you forget I was on the enemy side at one point, fighting against her? Against you? Why are you being so nice to me after everything?”

“Because”, Bow smiles. “You’re with us now. You’re one of us. And you saved Glimmer, Catra. You risked your life for hers! And for that, I’m eternally grateful.”

“No offense, but in that moment I was doing it for… for Adora. I thought it would keep her away.”

“See? Adora couldn’t have made it this far without you. We all couldn’t have made it this far without you. The past doesn’t matter anymore, Catra. We put it all behind us.”

She appreciates the sentiment, but she’s frustrated that he’s not understanding what she’s saying. For her, the past can simply never dissipate in the way it does for them. It haunts her. All. The. Fucking. Time. Its hold and lock on her is unbearable. It’s all she thinks about.

“I guess it’s easy for you Bow”, she says lightly. “For me, it’s just a bit more difficult to let go. I want to more than anything. I’m so tired of holding onto the past. I want to…”

_For Adora._

Bow offers her the sincerest smile he can muster up. “You know for the majority of Glimmer’s and I’s friendship I never spoke of my past? I was too ashamed of where I came from. She would always ask, but I never told her until circumstance forced me to.”

Catra raises an eyebrow.

“What I learned is that my past doesn’t define me. I mean yes, it does to an extent. But Glimmer didn’t look at me any differently when she learned who I truly was. She still looked at me as her best friend. Like she always had.”

He again, reaches for her hand, but in a gentler manner. “Doesn’t matter to us what your past is, Catra. We don’t view you any differently. We understand at one point we had indifferences, but we’ve put them aside. You need to learn to forgive yourself.”

Catra squeezes her eyes, and without saying a word, she wraps her arms tightly around his neck. His eyes widen, and then he smiles and embraces her back.

“Thank you”, she cracks out, with a hint of desperation in her voice. Bow replies by giving her back a little squeeze. She unwraps her arms from his neck and wipes a tear from her eye. Bleh. She despises being vulnerable. Or at least she used to.

“Before we head back, just one little request”, Bow asks, scratching his head.

“Shoot.”

“You think you could try and smooth things over with Adora? You know with the whole… Glimmer thing. She’ll listen to you. I’ll try to do the same with my also stubborn girlfriend.”

 _Girlfriend_. Catra jumps.

_Is he implying that… Adora is my…girlfriend? Is that what happens now? Yikes._

“Uh…yeah. Sure, I’ll try my best.”

“Alright!”

Bow extends his hand out, smiling. Catra returns his offering with a look of great confusion.

“High-five? Do you also not know what that is?”, he shrieks. “Oh my god. This is so sad.”

Catra still isn’t amused.

“Here”, he says, demonstrating with his other hand. “You bring them together like this and make them clap.”

“And this is something you guys do all the time for…fun?”

Bow is in utter agony. “What’s not to love about a high-five?”

Catra laughs. “I’m messing with you, Arrow Boy. Of course, I know what a high-five is. To an extent. In the Horde, we don’t call it that. We really don’t call it anything. But I recognize the gesture.”

Bow lets out a sigh of relief. “Thank god!”

Catra stares at this creature in fascination.

_Adora really does have some interesting friends. Shit. I guess now they’re also my friends._

She laughs to herself, as they head back to Bright Moon, accompanied with a stumbling and bubbly Bow keeping her entertained the entirety of the way there.

**Author's Note:**

> by no means am i a professional writer, so all criticism is welcome. preferably nice, logical, and practical kinds. i'm just here as a greedy lesbian who is unfulfilled with the ending of season 5; i need m o r e gay shit :) <3


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